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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24285901">Falling Through An Open Window</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiaink3/pseuds/indiaink3'>indiaink3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Mutant Powers, Time Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:22:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24285901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiaink3/pseuds/indiaink3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Della has spent her whole life waiting for things to get worse. Memories pop up every once and a while that just make her more confused about where she came from. When she runs into a familiar face she realizes that she finally has people who want to help her. Will she learn how to control this thing that has been weighing her down her entire life? Or will she be sucked further into a darkness that she is only just starting to understand?</p>
<p>--<br/>Still editing. Will add more tags as it makes sense to do so.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Falling Through An Open Window</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first story that I've submitted here, but I've been rolling this idea around in my head for too long not to try and write it.<br/>I'm still figuring parts of it out, so I'll try and keep you all updated if I end up editing anything.<br/>Any feedback is much appreciated!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 1</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>She was cold. It was dark. Her feet were bare, and felt muddy and sore. It felt like she had been walking for a long period of time, but she wasn’t sure if that was true. She was outside of some buildings and there were men with guns walking in the distance. She didn’t feel scared though, just tired. She walked up to the closest building and peered through the open window. A light was on. Two men were sitting on beds opposite each other, talking. The younger man was small and pale, and it seemed like the older man was telling him a story.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The girl went around to the side of the building, going through the door and down the hall until she reached the room the two men were in. The door was left open, and she heard the older man speaking. “Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.” His eyes glanced up, catching on her in her doorway as he finished his sentence. His eyes widened in surprise. “Della?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She walked in, rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He quickly picked her up, holding her to him. “Were you outside for a long time? Your feet are filthy. Where are your shoes?” His hands ran over her feet, checking for injuries and wiping off the mud. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Sir?” The younger man asked. He looked confused, staring at her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Sorry, Steven. My granddaughter, you see.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her eyes focused on the older man. “I heard you talking. What’s happening tomorrow?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Nothing you need to worry about, my child.” She nodded, leaning on his shoulder as he sat on the bed with her.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The younger man lifted a glass to the older man. “To the little guys, and girls.” He said, about to drink from it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The man holding her nodded, but then shook his head quickly, like he realized he was in the wrong. “No. No. What am I doing? No. You have a procedure tomorrow. No fluid.” He took away the glass from the younger man. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Alright. We’ll drink it after.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No. I don’t have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after?” He smiled and took the drink, drinking it quickly. “Drink it now.” He stood, carrying her, and nodded at the other man. “Have a good night, Steven. I will see you tomorrow.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Goodnight, Doctor. Goodnight, Della. It was nice meeting you.” He made eye contact with her as the older man carried her out. She lifted a hand to wave goodbye.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Della looked up at a clear night sky. There were stars everywhere, shining bright. Wherever she had been before, she didn't remember stars. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>As the older man carried her towards a different building, she asked him again. “Where are we?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“New Jersey. Della....where were you, my child?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I-I don’t know. I don’t remember. It was dark.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>His arms tightened on her. “You need to be careful.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I can’t help it. It just happened.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She watched as they entered a new building, a smaller one with less furniture in it. There was a desk, and a chair. A cabinet of some kind. A bed, and a small cot.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Here.” He placed her on the cot. He walked out the door and returned with some clean clothes of some kind and some blankets. He wiped her feet gently with a cloth. “Your skin is very dirty. Do you know how long you were there?” She shook her head no. “Do you know how old you are?” She shook her head no, again. He paused. “Do you remember me?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She shook her no, slowly. “You said you were my grandpa. And you knew my name.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He paused, carefully. “This is the youngest I have met you, then.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Her eyes watered. “So you’re not my grandpa?” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Not to my knowledge. But, we must tell people that is the truth.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She wiped her eyes. “How do I know you?” She asked as he removed her dirty dress and put on a clean sweater. It was soft, and too large. It was clearly meant for someone older than her. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I have met you many times.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>She nodded. That answer sounded familiar to her, even though his voice did not. Had someone else said that to her, too? “What do you know about yourself?” He asked gently. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“My name is Della. But I think sometimes people call me other names, too.” He tucked her in to the cot, the blankets warming up her cold body fast. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What other names do they call you?” He asked her, though his voice was starting to get soft and distant as her eyes started to flutter shut. “Della?”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ella?”</p>
<p>Della shot out of bed.</p>
<p>Her eyes opened to the sunny day. She sees her room, as small as it was. She sees her things, as few as they are. She sees her walls, covered in art she had collected over the past few years. And she sees her new roommate staring at her from the doorway. “Ella? You alright?” the other girl asks. She had moved in only a few days before, and they hadn't really spent time together yet.</p>
<p>“Yeah, weird dream. Sorry.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “What’s up?”</p>
<p>Her roommate gave her a weird look, “You were making weird noises. I was honestly kinda worried...”</p>
<p><em>Shit</em>. “Right. Thanks for waking me. Sorry to have bothered you.” The other girl nodded, closing the door and leaving Della alone with her thoughts.</p>
<p>“He was a doctor in New Jersey?” She muttered. She shoved her hand into the space between her mattress and boxspring, pulling out the journal she had picked up years ago. She flipped open to a page labeled “Papa”, one of the first ones in the slightly beat up book. She had already known he wasn’t really her grandfather, but it had been years since she last saw him, and she really only had memories of him as her Papa. She quickly scratched in this new information. <em>Doctor, New Jersey, must have been really young if he could carry me around...there were soldiers, so it must have been some kind of army base?</em></p>
<p>She checked her phone. <em>Damn it</em>, she had slept through her alarm. Della reached into her bedside table drawer and snagged her pill bottles, popping one of each quickly.</p>
<p>“I need to stop doing this to myself.” She grumbled as she got out of bed and went to the bathroom. “Stupid late nights, killing my sleep schedule.” Della hustled through her morning routine, barely stopping to grab some toast before she left the apartment. “Bye!” She shouted to her roommate. <em>Annie? Amy?</em> She heard the other girl call out a similar goodbye as she shut the door and hustled out down the stairs of their building.</p>
<p>Getting to work with only a few minutes to spare, she smiled and said hello to her boss as she entered the flower shop.</p>
<p>The older woman grinned at her. “Morning, Ellie.” Mrs. Nguyen called as she finished wrapping a bouquet up for a customer. “How were your days off? Did you get enough to eat? You look thinner.”</p>
<p>“I promise I ate,” Della grinned, “You just want me to get fatter so I can never leave you.”</p>
<p>“I just don’t want you taking off next weekend for that race, that’s all. I need you that day.”</p>
<p>“C’mon, ma,” Alex Nguyen said as he popped up from behind the front desk. “Don’t scare off Ellie. She’s been working hard to do that 5k. You should be proud.” He winked at her. “Hey Ellie.”</p>
<p>“Hi Alex. No, I won’t go to prom with you.”</p>
<p>“I DIDN’T EVEN ASK-” he spluttered, his eyes wide. “-AW C’MON.”</p>
<p>“You asked me 3 times last week, Alex. Just taking precautions.” Della grinned as she made her way to the back of the shop to drop off her bag and coat.</p>
<p>Della had worked at the little flower shop for more than a year now. They were the only decent place that didn't ask much about her past. She got paid under the table, which suited her fine. Trang Nguyen might be under the impression that Della had run away from a bad home, but she had never once asked about it or made her feel bad for not having a college education or any former references. Della had walked in asking about the help wanted sign, after just having several uncomfortable interviews with people who continued to ask more and more questions she couldn't answer about her past. Something on her face must have just screamed "help me" because Trang had handed her an apron and said "My boy gives you any issues and you smack him, ok?" Della had been in nearly every single day since, and even spent the holidays with the mother-son duo. It was the closest thing she had felt to a family in more than a decade.</p>
<p>"Ella, can you give me a hand with these?" Mrs Nguyen called from the front. Della called back a quick affirmative as she tucked her phone into her back pocket and tied an apron around her waist.</p>
<p>"How's it been so far today?" She asked as she picked up the large bouquet of sunflowers and moved them to the window.</p>
<p>"Slow." Alex complained.</p>
<p>His mother hushed him. "Well, it won't get busy with that look on your face. What sane person wants to come in and see such a rude faced boy?"</p>
<p>She reached over and pinched his cheek. "Ow! Mom! Stop."</p>
<p>"Why don't you smile more? What did I do to get such a grumpy son?"</p>
<p>"I would smile more if you stopped pinching me."</p>
<p>Della laughed as they continued bickering. She moved another couple bouquets into the window, but a flash of light outside distracted her. "Hey! There's a guy dressed as Darth Vader outside!" She called to Alex.</p>
<p>He headed over and grinned at the costumed figure walking down the street. "Cool. Probably for Star Wars Day."</p>
<p>Della felt her brows furrow. "Star Wars Day?"</p>
<p>"Yeah. Y'know? May the Fourth be with you?"</p>
<p>"Oh. Right. Cool." She watched the black figure turn a corner as Alex went back to doing his homework at the counter. "May the Fourth. Huh." Something about that date seemed familiar, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.</p>
<p>"Ella can you run a delivery this afternoon?" her boss called from behind her.</p>
<p>Della took out her notepad from her apron. “Of course. Where to?”</p>
<p>“An apartment over on 42nd.” <em>42nd...where was that again? Getting used to all the neighborhoods was exhausting.</em></p>
<p>“I thought I was taking the deliveries today?” Alex complained.</p>
<p>“I see how much homework you have left. You’re going to finish those notes is what you’re going to be doing.”</p>
<p>“Fine. Have fun walking all the way to midtown.”</p>
<p>“She’s not going to walk. Take the bike, Ella. you’ll get there much faster. Just be careful on these streets, okay? You never know what people are going to do out there. It’s like they’re animals or something.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Or something</em>, Della thought to herself several hours later as another flying creature sped past her hiding spot in an alley. A roar sounded from around the corner as she closed her eyes. “Shit. Shit. Fuck. Shit. I knew today was going to suck.”</p>
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